Monday Musings 1.9

Ben, Doctor of Fortunes—the literal translation of his surname still made him grin—arrived at his lab ten minutes before his scheduled meeting with Myzme ko’Khanaa. During their ten-week residence on the planet Dremiks, Ben had expanded the pre-fabricated Qounset hut to include the remains of walls erected by the habitat dome’s original tenants. Some of the Valtozan architecture had crumbled over the centuries, but the walls made of heat-fused Dremikian mud and metals still stood. One half of his workspace he’d converted into a greenhouse. Knowing the arboreal origins of the Kigvans, he’d chosen this location for his meeting with the guard commander.

Commander Myzme stalked in exactly on time. Kigvans moved at a deliberate speed, bobbing slightly up and down on their odd kangaroo-like legs. She wore the same garb as the other Kigvan guards—a close fitted sleeveless tunic of gleaming, color-shifting threads that reached to just above the first joint of her legs. Unlike her subordinates, though, the commander sported blue scrollwork tattoos on her shoulders and stubby forearms.

She crossed her arms over her flat chest. Then she used one long talon to tap a translation-box attached around her neck on a braided cord. The box translated her guttural native tongue. “Greetings and Knowledge to you, Doctor Ben.”

Ben Fortunas, used to being one of the tallest creatures in a room, had to tilt his head back to look the Kigvan in the eyes. “Welcome, Honored Commander. Thank you for agreeing to share knowledge with me.” He saw her protuberant gray eyes focus on the tall elephant ear plant behind him. “Would the Honored Commander like to examine the Earth species of plants I have here?”

“This proposal is acceptable.”

As the human scientist led his alien visitor by each planter, he took care to volunteer the bare minimum of details. The Kigvan would then ask for clarification or further details. When they’d reached the end of one long row, she stepped in front of him.

“Human Doctor Ben. Many informations have you provided. The distribution of knowledge is uneven. Now I will make equal.” Myzme made a guttural sound and began speaking again. “It is your time to ask the questions.”

Ben pulled a flat disk from one of his pockets. The information storage devices of the Kigvans were wafer-thin and slightly pliable. Data entered by humans was translated into a code of Dremikian origin before being stored on the disks. Kigvan systems could read the Dremikian encoding without having to further translate, thus preventing another layer of possible transcription error.

“The humans on this planet are all suffering from a condition called anemia. Anemia has many causes, but this one seems to be due to low blood iron levels.”

The Kigvan extended her forearm at an angle, taloned-hand palm-down. “Humans have metal in blood? This is normal?”

“Yes. It is essential. But only some metals. Other metals or minerals can cause illness.” Seeing the commander cross her arms once more, Ben continued, “One of the metals that causes harm to human bodies is lead. It binds to the iron in our blood and prevents the proper function of our cells. Lead can also accumulate in the human brain and kidneys, causing damage to cognitive and renal functions. Thankfully, our medicines can now remove this lead contamination and prevent anemia as well as other lead poisoning effects.”

He paused, trying—and failing—to read the alien’s body language. “Our atmospheric and water filters are designed to remove lead and other common pollutants. Unfortunately, it seems that the mineral lorga, which contains lead, is passing through these filters and being absorbed by our bodies. I believe that the lead particles within lorga are attracting iron and causing the hemolytic anemia we all suffer from.”

“All?” The Kigvan’s mannerism displayed none of the signs that a human would, but Ben instinctually felt her focus increase.

“All humans on the planet except for the baby. She remains unaffected, but that could be due to Dr. Ruger’s prophylactic administration of increased iron supplements.”

Myzme clicked and grunted for a few seconds. The translation box recited, “What assistance do you require, human doctor?”

“The wise Kigvans surely have instruments to detect and filter lorga from the environment. I would ask that an engineer—a maker of these filters—help me to construct our own.”

The blue-painted, grey skinned alien looked down at him. She did not speak or move.

Ben shifted his weight. He opened his mouth to clarify his request, but she spoke first.

“In return for this knowledge?”

“This is very valuable information. It is, essentially, lifesaving. What would our generous protectors require in return?”

“The humans will provide to the Kigvan Dominion a blood sample destabilized with lead. And…” She turned smoothly and pointed with a silver-painted talon at the elephant ear. “I wish to have a copy of that plant.”